How to find the hardness line in Oconomowoc's water quality report
Oconomowoc's water utility publishes its hardness in a water quality report, and the figures moved between editions. Here is where to look, what the numbers mean, and which ones to read out when you call.
Call (262) 829-5961Mon to Fri, 7am to 5pmGetting the report
The City of Oconomowoc posts its water quality reports on its website. The current edition is titled the 2025 Water Quality Report, and an earlier one, the 2022 report, is worth pulling up for comparison.
These reports describe the water customers on the city mains receive. Private wells are not in them, which the last section below comes back to.
The line to look for: total hardness
Hardness is listed as total hardness, in milligrams per liter. The 2025 report gives two numbers for it: an average of 375 and a range of 320 to 420.
Both numbers matter, and they answer different questions.
Average versus range
The average is the middle of what the city measured. The range runs from the lowest result to the highest, across a system of seven wells feeding four entry points.
Your faucet sits somewhere inside that range, and the report cannot say where. That is why the softener's setting comes from the plumber's own test at your faucet, not from the average.
From milligrams to the grains a softener uses
Softener settings are usually entered in grains per gallon. Divide milligrams per liter by 17.1: the 2025 range of 320 to 420 comes to roughly 19 to 25 grains, and the 375 average to about 22.
By the USGS yardstick, 180 milligrams per liter, near 10.5 grains, is where very hard begins, and every number in the report clears it.
When the numbers change between editions
Lay the 2022 report beside the 2025 one and the whole picture moved up: the average from 317 to 375, the low end from 290 to 320, the high end from 370 to 420. Reading only an old edition leaves you with a lower number than the city now publishes.
So use the newest report you can find, and give its year when you read the figures to us. A private well in Lac La Belle or Summit is measured only by its own lab report.
Common questions
What should I read out on the call?
The total hardness average and range, the unit, and the year on the report. If you only have the average, that works too; the plumber's faucet test settles the rest.
Does the report describe my private well?
No. It covers the city's seven wells. A private well in Lac La Belle, Summit or anywhere off the city mains needs its own lab report.
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